KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 — Devotional fervour has filled the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple at Batu Caves, as thousands of devotees begin thronging the complex to fulfil their religious vows ahead of Thaipusam.

This year, Batu Caves is gearing up to welcome more than 3.5 million visitors for Thaipusam — with a “mini-Thaipusam” slated for this weekend.  

Thaipusam is celebrated on the first full moon in the Tamil month of Thai, when the Pusam star — the eighth of the 27 stars in Hindu astrology — reaches its highest point.

According to Hindu belief, Goddess Parvati bestowed the divine spear called the “vel” on her son Lord Murugan, who used it to defeat the demon Surapadman on this day.

Sri Maha Mariamman Devasthanam Temple trustee Datuk N. Sivakumar said many devotees prefer to fulfil their religious vows — especially the offering of milk pots, or paal kudam — as soon as the Thai month begins, rather than waiting for Thaipusam day.

The Thai month began with the Pongal harvest festival on January 15.

Thaipusam falls on February 1 this year.

Sivakumar said the final weekend before Thaipusam typically draws a large crowd of devotees, leading to what he described as a “mini-Thaipusam”.

“So, we have decided to keep the cave temple open from 4.30am until 12.30am from Fridays to Sundays to allow devotees to perform their religious vows,” Sivakumar told Malay Mail in a recent interview.

The temple management, he said, has also decided to allow small traders to set up stalls on only one side of the walkway to improve crowd control.  

Sivakumar said the temple management has also upgraded the roads and temple hall to provide a more comfortable experience for devotees.

Drone show in the works

This Thaipusam also marks 20 years since the world’s second tallest Lord Murugan statue — and the tallest outside India — was installed at the Batu Caves temple.

Standing at 42.7 metres (140 feet) tall, the golden statue was installed in 2006 at the base of the 272 steps leading to the main cave temple.

Sivakumar revealed that the statue’s earrings — or kundalam — which extend slightly over five feet (1.5 metres), can move during strong winds.

“We deliberately designed it that way for better aesthetics, but you cannot really observe it from a far distance,” he said.

Following months-long restoration and repainting works, the statue was reopened to the public on January 1 this year, with drones showering rose water.

The ritual, known as paneer abhishekam, is traditionally carried out by temple priests.

However, Sivakumar said incorporating technology into rituals is essential to attract younger devotees to the temple, as well as to promote Batu Caves as an international tourist site.

“Videos of the drone abhishekam became a social media sensation, allowing us to reach a wider international audience,” he added.

Sivakumar also hinted at the possibility of a private firm staging a drone show for visitors on Thaipusam day, but said the firm is still seeking the necessary security approvals.

“The firm has submitted all the required applications and they will revert to the temple by this week.

“If the application goes through, then we are thinking of creating a ‘vel’ using drones for spectators.

“It will be a short visual treat that might last about five to seven minutes,” he explained.